Mid2Mod: Ercole Barovier

Ercole Barovier

Ercole Barovier (1889-1974) was an Italian glass designer who was part of a family that has been making glass for centuries. In 1920 he joined his father's company and became artistic director in 1926. By 1936 he was sole proprietor of the company, which is still operating today under the name of Barovier & Taso.

He developed new chemical formulas, created new colors and devised more efficient ways to manufacture glass. He invented “heat coloring without fusion” and obtained various patents, many of which have become fundamental, shared methods in the production of Murano glass. His ability to come up with new glass effects, however, was his greatest talent.

His vases using mosaic and intarsia (overlapping color inlay) effects, as well as a series known as Primavera, captured the attention of Gio Ponti, a leading Italian architect and designer. Ponti's praise for Barovier's work added to his reputation and helped establish him as one of the leading glass designers of the 1930s-1960s. Over the course of his career, which ended only shortly before his death, he created a portfolio of 25,000 designs.

His work was seen at many of the leading exhibitions of the day, including the first Monza Triennale, held in 1923, and the Venice Biennale. The last major show of his work was held at the Correr Museum in Venice in 1989. Today the works of Ercole Barovier can be seen in museums worldwide, as well as leading auction houses.

From barovier.com